Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Clive Davis – The Soundtrack of My Life (Simon & Schuster)

So, how does
a nice Jewish boy from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York go from being a
Harvardeducated lawyer to becoming one
of the most successful music industry moguls in the history of the business? A
quick run through the pages of The
Soundtrack of My Life the autobiography of Clive Davis and you’ll get a red
carpet glimpse of the incredible and storied career of a true titan of the
music business.

For a guy
who has gone through a series of meteoric rises and nearly as dramatic falls,
Davis has an amazing memory from which he recounts his climb from first rung of
the legal department to running Columbia Records at what would be a pivotal
moment as it transitions from the home of successful middle of the road acts to
being the home to a veritable rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame wing.

The names,
the tales, the internal battles and the dynamic style that Davis brought to the
business and while it’s been attempted, it’s never quite been duplicated, is
all here. Davis has had a hand in discovering, signing or guiding to greater
success the careers of: Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Simon &
Garfunkel, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Whitney Houston, Chicago, Johnny Cash,
Santana (not once, but twice), Sly & the Family Stone, Earth, Wind &
Fire, The Grateful Dead and many, many more.

He recalls
with fascinating detail the process and back story of many of his personal
interactions with artists and in the case of Janis Joplin an offer of a very
personal interaction to seal the deal if you will. Davis doesn’t shy away from
telling his side of the story about his dramatic departure from Columbia
Records at a point that many would say was the peak of his first round of
success. While clearly stung by the accusations against him and the media’s
coverage of those allegations, Davis finally has his day in these pages.

While many
would have been destroyed by this kind of episode, Davis deftly bounced back
forming Arista Records and continuing on to even greater success. While at
times coming off as more than a bit self-obsessed, what mogul worth his salt
isn’t self-obsessed, Davis lards on the detail of his salary, his homes and his
lavish mogul lifestyle.

Anyone
familiar with the stories of the titans of the music industry know that these
are not people cut from ordinary cloth; they are extremely creative, dynamic
risk takers who are willing to roll the dice in search of a jackpot. Certainly
that is a mantle that Clive Davis would be comfortable wearing. While these
folks are often cited for the positive impact they have on the artists they
guide, they are also bound to rankle a few folks along the way and make enemies
along the way. Davis has his share of both, but clearly his track record of
success makes it clear that the positives outweigh the negatives.